Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Top 50 Craft Breweries For 2009

By

ba
The Brewers Association just announced the top 50 breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2009, which is listed below here. For the third time, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 craft breweries based on the new definition adopted by the Brewers Association a few years ago. Here is the new craft brewery list:

  1. Boston Beer Co.; Boston MA
  2. Sierra Nevada Brewing; Chico CA
  3. New Belgium Brewing; Fort Collins CO
  4. Spoetzl Brewery (Gambrinus); Spoetzl TX
  5. Pyramid Breweries; Seattle WA
  6. Deschutes Brewery; Bend OR
  7. Matt Brewing; Utica NY
  8. Magic Hat Brewing Company; Burlington VT
  9. Boulevard Brewing; Kansas City MO
  10. Harpoon Brewery; Boston, MA
  11. Alaskan Brewing; Juneau AK
  12. Bell’s Brewery; Galesburg MI
  13. Kona Brewing; Kailua-Kona HI
  14. Full Sail Brewing; Hood River OR
  15. Stone Brewing; Escondido CA
  16. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Lewes DE
  17. Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn NY
  18. Abita Brewing; New Orleans LA
  19. Summit Brewing; Saint Paul MN
  20. Anchor Brewing; San Francisco CA
  21. Shipyard Brewing; Portland ME
  22. New Glarus Brewing; New Glarus WI
  23. Great Lakes Brewing; Cleveland OH
  24. Rogue Ales/Oregon Brewing; Newport OR
  25. Long Trail Brewing; Bridgewater Corners VT
  26. Lagunitas Brewing; Petaluma CA
  27. Gordon Biersch Brewing; San Jose CA
  28. Sweetwater Brewing; Atlanta GA
  29. Firestone Walker Brewing; Paso Robles CA
  30. Victory Brewing; Downingtown PA
  31. Flying Dog Brewery; Frederick MD
  32. BJs Restaurant & Brewery; Huntington Beach CA
  33. Odell Brewing; Fort Collins CO
  34. Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants; Louisville CO
  35. Bridgeport Brewing; Portland OR
  36. Lost Coast Brewery; Eureka CA
  37. Big Sky Brewing; Missoula MT
  38. Stevens Point Brewing; Stevens Point WI
  39. Mac and Jack’s Brewery; Redmond WA
  40. Karl Strauss Breweries; San Diego CA
  41. The Saint Louis Brewery; St Louis MO
  42. Blue Point Brewing; Patchogue NY
  43. Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants; Chattanooga TN
  44. Oskar Blues Brewery; Longmont CO
  45. North Coast Brewing; Fort Bragg CA
  46. Breckenridge Brewery; Denver CO
  47. Utah Brewers Cooperative; Salt Lake City UT
  48. Saint Arnold Brewing; Houston TX
  49. Boulder Beer; Boulder CO
  50. Bear Republic Brewing; Cloverdale CA

Four breweries are new to the Top 50 Craft Breweries list; Bear Republic Brewing, Oskar Blues Brewery, Saint Arnold Brewing and Stevens Point. In addition, four dropped off the list; Otter Creek Brewing, Pete’s Brewing, McMenamins and Anderson Valley Brewing. Here is this year’s press release.

I’ll have my annual annotated list shortly.

World Beer Cup Statistics 2010

By

world-beer-cup
Here’s some preliminary breakdowns of how the awards went down, who won the most by country and state. Of the 268 awards (2 medals were not awarded) from 3,351 beers by 642 breweries in 44 countries, here’s the results.

Awards by Country

  1. United States 204
  2. Germany 16
  3. TIE: 7
    • Belgium 7
    • Canada 7
  4. TIE: 5
    • Japan 5
    • UK 5
  5. TIE: 3
    • Australia 3
    • Czech Republic 3
    • Denmark 3
    • Singapore 3
  6. TIE: 2
    • Sweden 2
    • Lithuania 2
    • Italy 2

Two years ago, the U.S. was again in first with 158, followed by Germany and Belgium. This year, Canada shares third with Belgium. 19 countries won at least one medal, down from 21 two years ago.

Awards by State

  1. California 45
  2. Oregon 13
  3. TIE: 12
    • Illinois 12
    • Washington 12
  4. TIE: 11
    • Colorado 11
    • Michigan 11
  5. Virginia 8
  6. TIE: 7
    • Indiana 7
    • Missouri 7
    • Wisconsin 7
  7. TIE: 6
    • Delaware 6
    • Maryland 6
  8. Nevada 5
  9. TIE: 4
    • Arizona 4
    • Massachusetts 4
    • New Mexico 4
    • New York 4
    • North Carolina 4
    • Pennsylvania 4
  10. TIE: 3
    • Alaska 3
    • Tennessee 3
    • Utah 3
    • Wyoming 3

Last time California won 35, so we picked up 10 more awards this year. Oregon was in third place in 2008, but this time around moved into second. This year, third place was a tie between Illinois and Washington. Second in 2008 was Colorado, who dropped to a tie for fourth with Michigan.

Full winner’s list.

World Beer Cup Awards 2010

By

world-beer-cup
Tonight a record crowd of 2,000 people attended the awards dinner for the World Beer Cup. It is believed to have been the world’s largest beer dinner, and the five course meal was created and prepared by Randy Mosher and Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef.

This year, 642 breweries from 44 countries and 47 U.S. states vied for awards with 3,351 beers entered in 90 beer style categories. The entries in each category were eligible for gold, silver and bronze awards. Judges presented a total of 268 awards.

wbc_logo

Individual Beer Awards

Category 1: American-Style Cream Ale or Lager, 17 entries
Gold: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Lone Star, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL

Category 2: American-Style Wheat Beer, 16 entries
Gold: Shredders Wheat, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Silver: Rockfish Wheat, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: DD Blonde, Hop Valley Brewing Co., Springfield, OR

Category 3: American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast, 24 entries
Gold: Point Horizon Wheat, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI
Silver: UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA
Bronze: Whitetail Wheat, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT

Category 4: Rye Beer, 22 entries
Gold: Harvest Moon Rye, Rock Bottom Brewery – Arlington, Arlington, VA
Silver: Rye Bob, The Grumpy Troll Brewery, Restaurant& Pizzeria, Mount Horeb, WI
Bronze: Hoss Rye Lager, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category 5: Fruit Beer or Field Beer, 86 entries
Gold: Da’ Yoopers, Rocky Mountain Brewery, Colorado Springs, CO
Silver: Lolita, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Bronze: Ephémère Apple, Unibroue, Chambly, Canada

Category 6: Herb and Spice Beer or Chocolate Beer, 109 entries
Gold: Coco Jones Porter, Black Raven Brewing Co., Redmond, WA
Silver: Lemon Grass Wheat Ale, Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Bronze: Black Licorice Lager, Short’s Brewing Co., Bellaire, MI

Category 7: Coffee Flavored Beer, 47 entries
Gold: Dude! Where’s My Vespa?, Rock Bottom Brewery – Arlington, Arlington, VA
Silver: Addiction, Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery, Boulder, CO
Bronze: Morning Bear, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

Category 8: Specialty Beer, 27 entries
Gold: Country Girl Kabocha Ale, Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan
Silver: COEDO Beniaka, Coedobrewery Kyodoshoji Corp. Ltd., Kawagoe, Japan
Bronze: Maple Tripple, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Warren, VT

Category 9: Specialty Honey Beer, 27 entries
Gold: Tauras Alus su medumi, UAB “Kalnapilio – Tauro grupė”, Panevezys, Lithuania
Silver: Bracia, Thornbridge Brewery, Bakewell, United Kingdom
Bronze: Cable Car Amber Ale, World Brews, Novato, CA

Category 10: Session Beer, 28 entries
Gold: Polygamy Porter, Utah Brewers Co-Op, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Firestone Extra Pale Ale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Guppie Pale Ale, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Huntington Beach, CA

Category 11: Other Strong Beer, 44 entries
Gold: Imperial Jack, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Green Flash Stout, Green Flash Brewing Co., Vista, CA
Bronze: Doug’s Very Noddy 40th Birthday Lager, Buckbean Brewing Co., Reno, NV

Category 12: Experimental Beer, 51 entries
Gold: 100% Brett Autumn Maple, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Silver: Harvest, Snipes Mountain Brewing Co., Sunnyside, WA
Bronze: Red & White, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Category 13: Out of Category – Traditionally Brewed Beer, 47 entries
Gold: Fathom IPL, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Hot Rocks Lager, Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA
Bronze: State Pen Porter, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM

Category 14: Gluten Free Beer, 10 entries
Gold: Celia Saison, The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT
Silver: O’Brien Brown Ale, O’Brien Brewing, Bakery Hill, Australia
Bronze: RedBridge, Anheuser-Busch InBev, St. Louis, MO

Category 15: American-Belgo-Style Ale, 46 entries
Silver: Ommegang Biere de Mars, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Bronze: Hop God, Nebraska Brewing Co., Papillion, NE

Category 16: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 32 entries
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Aged Piper Down, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Co., Lexington, KY
Bronze: Pullman’s Reserve, Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Flossmoor, IL

Category 17: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 113 entries
Gold: The Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Silver: Barrel Aged La Petite Mort, Black Raven Brewing Co., Redmond, WA
Bronze: Rudolf’s Bourbon Scotch Ale, Rock Bottom Brewery – Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

Category 18: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 39 entries
Gold: Creeper, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Silver: Rodenbach Vintage, Palm Breweries N.V., Steenhuffel, Belgium
Bronze: White Woods, Cisco Brewers Inc., Nantucket, MA

Category 19: Aged Beer, 20 entries
Gold: Alaskan Smoked Porter 1998, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Silver: Gonzo Imperial Porter Vintage 2007, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Bronze: Saint Bob’s Imperial Stout ’06, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category 20: Kellerbier/Zwickelbier, 32 entries
Gold: Störtebeker Bio “1402”, Stralsunder Brauerei GmbH, Stralsund, Germany
Silver: VIAEMILIA, Birrificio del Ducato, Roncole Verdi, Italy
Bronze: Hell In Keller, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que, Austin, TX

Category 21: Smoked Beer, 35 entries
Gold: Caldera Rauch Ur Bock, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR
Silver: Smoke Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Bronze: Fujizakura Kogen Beer Rauch Bock, Fujikanko Kaihatsu Co. Ltd., Minamitsuru, Japan

Category 22: European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht(bier), 16 entries
Gold: Falcon Extra Brew 3.5%, Carlsberg Sverige AB, Stockholm, Sweden
Silver: Distelhäuser Leichtes, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofshei, Germany
Bronze: Pripps Blå 3.5%, Carlsberg Sverige AB, Stockholm, Sweden

Category 23: German-Style Pilsener, 69 entries
Gold: Pilsner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Silver: Trumer Pils, Trumer Brauerei, Berkeley, CA
Bronze: Grünten-Pils, Engelbräu Rettenberg, Rettenberg, Germany

Category 24: Bohemian-Style Pilsener, 43 entries
Gold: Golden Pilsner, Morgan Street Brewery, St. Louis, MO
Silver: Gambrinus Excelent, Plzeňský Prazdroj a.s., Plzeň, Czech Republic
Bronze: Velkopopovický KOZEL Premium, Plzeňský Prazdroj a.s., Plzeň, Czech Republic

Category 25: Münchner-Style Helles, 48 entries
Gold: Hoepfner Export, Privatbrauerei Hoepfner GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany
Silver: Zipfer Märzen, Brau Union Österreich AG, Linz, Austria
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Golden Export, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Chattanooga, TN

Category 26: Dortmunder/European-Style Export or German-Style Oktoberfest/Wiesen (Meadow), 42 entries
Gold: Schönramer Gold, Private Landbrauerei Schönram, Petting / Schönram, Germany
Silver: Spezialbier Edel, Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren AG, Kaufbeuren, Germany
Bronze: Weihnachtsbier, Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Glauner GmbH & Co. KG, Alpirsbach, Germany

Category 27: Vienna-Style Lager, 28 entries
Gold: Schild Brau Amber, Millstream Brewing Co., Amana, IA
Silver: Vienna Lager, The Covey Restaurant & Brewery, Fort Worth, TX
Bronze: Heavy Seas Marzen, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

Category 28: German-Style Märzen, 28 entries
Gold: Rocktoberfest, Rock Bottom Brewery – Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Gordon Biersch Marzen, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Chattanooga, TN
Bronze: Festus, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category 29: European-Style Dark/Münchner Dunkel, 33 entries
Gold: Chuckanut Dunkel, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel, Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg GmbH, Kelheim, Germany
Bronze: Munich Dunkles, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS

Category 30: German-Style Schwarzbier, 38 entries
Gold: Black Forest Schwarzbier, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: TAPS Schwarzbier, TAPS Fish House & Brewery – Corona, Corona, CA
Bronze: Schwartz Bier, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

Category 31: Traditional German-Style Bock, 25 entries
Gold: Troegenator, Troegs Brewery, Harrisburg, PA
Silver: Sidewinder Bock, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA
Bronze: Kollaborator, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

Category 32: German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock, 26 entries
Gold: Distelhäuser Frühlingsbock, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany
Silver: Kalnapilis 7.30, UAB “Kalnapilio – Tauro grupė”, Panevezys, Lithuania
Bronze: Kloster Starkbier, Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Glauner GmbH & Co. KG, Alpirsbach, Germany

Category 33: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock, 43 entries
Gold: Broken Skeg, Breakwater Brewing Co., Oceanside, CA
Silver: Dunkles Bock, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Dominator Dopplebock, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category 34: American-Style Lager, 75 entries
Gold: Olympia, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: National Bohemian, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Coors Light, Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO

Category 35: American-Style Specialty Lager, 19 entries
Gold: Boulevard Pilsner, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Mickey’s Malt Liquor, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Colt 45, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL

Category 36: American-Style Amber Lager, 24 entries
Gold: Numazu Lager, Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan
Silver: Upland Oktoberfest, Upland Brewing Co., Bloomington, IN
Bronze: Riverwest Stein, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

Category 37: American-Style Dark Lager, 12 entries
Gold: Session Black, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Silver: Durango Dark, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Bronze: Ben’s Brown, Golden Hills Brewing Co., Reardan, WA

Category 38: Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-Style Light Lager, 19 entries
Gold: Tiger Crystal, Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd., Singapore
Silver: Quilmes Cristal, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, Quilmes, Argentina
Bronze: Landshark, Anheuser-Busch InBev, St. Louis, MO

Category 39: International-Style Lager, 58 entries
Gold: Tiger Beer, Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd., Singapore
Silver: Gambrinus Svĕtlé, Plzeňský Prazdroj a.s., Plzeň, Czech Republic
Bronze: Egils Polar, Olgerdin Egill Skallagrímsson, Reykjavik, Iceland

Category 40: Baltic-Style Porter, 28 entries
Gold: Danzig, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Silver: 3 Dog Night, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Token, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA

Category 41: Belgian-Style Witbier, 47 entries
Gold: Allagash White, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Ommegang Witte Wheat Ale, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Bronze: Whoop Ass Witbier, Great Basin Brewing Co., Reno, NV

Category 42: Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 57 entries
Gold: Saison Sayuri, Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan
Silver: Saison du Bastone, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Bronze: Fluxus ‘09, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME

Category 43: Belgian-Style Blonde Ale or Pale Ale, 41 entries
Gold: Troubadour Blond, Brewery The Musketeers, Ursel, Belgium
Silver: Brugse Zot Blond, Brouwerij de Halve Maan, Brugge, Belgium
Bronze: Leffe Blonde, Anheuser-Busch InBev, St. Louis, MO

Category 44: Belgian-Style Sour Ale, 23 entries
Gold: Geuze Mariage Parfait, Brouwerij BOON N.V., Lembeek, Belgium
Silver: Oude Geuze Boon, Brouwerij BOON N.V., Lembeek, Belgium
Bronze: Lambic de Hill, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE

Category 45: Belgian-Style Flanders/Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale, 20 entries
Gold: Oude Tart, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Silver: Red Poppy, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Bronze: Le Serpent, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY

Category 46: Belgian-Style Dubbel, 29 entries
Gold: Ommegang Abbey Ale Dubbel, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Silver: Mad Monk Dubbel, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Abbey Dubbel, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE

Category 47: Belgian-Style Tripel, 53 entries
Gold: Daisy Chain Tripel, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Samuel Adams New World Triple, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Bronze: Merry Monks’ Ale, Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA

Category 48: Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale, 33 entries
Gold: Omer. Traditional Blond, Bockor Brewery, Bellegem, Belgium
Silver: Revelations, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Fin du Monde, Unibroue, Chambly, Canada

Category 49: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale, 46 entries
Gold: Witte Noire Imperial Amber Wheat Ale, De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi, Belgium
Silver: La Grivoise de Noel, Micro-Brasserie le Trou du Diable, Shawinigan, Canada
Bronze: Brooklyn Local 2, The Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

Category 50: Other Belgian-Style Ale, 35 entries
Gold: New Norcia Abbey Ale, Malt Shovel Brewery, Camperdown, Australia
Silver: Frozen Kriek, Sleeping Lady Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Bronze: Signature Quadruple, Choc Beer Company, Krebs, OK

Category 51: English-Style Summer Ale, 24 entries
Gold: Leghorn, Roosters Brewing Co. Ltd., Knaresborough, United Kingdom
Silver: Y.P.A., Roosters Brewing Co. Ltd., Knaresborough, United Kingdom
Bronze: Helios Pale Ale, Upland Brewing Co., Bloomington, IN

Category 52: Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 29 entries
Gold: Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul, MN
Silver: Michelob Pale Ale, Michelob Brewing Co., St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Heavy Seas Pale Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

Category 53: English-Style India Pale Ale, 32 entries
Gold: India Pale Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Brewer’s Alley India Pale Ale, Brewer’s Alley Restaurant and Brewery, Frederick, MD
Bronze: Russell IP’eh!, Russell Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada

Category 54: Ordinary Bitter, 12 entries
Gold: Drop Top, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Redoak Bitter, Redoak, Sydney, Australia
Bronze: Cutthroat Pale Ale, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category 55: Special Bitter or Best Bitter, 30 entries
Gold: Bachelor Bitter, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Lumberyard Red, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ
Bronze: Spitfire, Shepherd Neame Ltd., Faversham, United Kingdom

Category 56: Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter, 24 entries
Gold: Steep Trail Amber Ale, Black Diamond Brewing Co., Concord, CA
Silver: Organic Velvet ESB, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: Extra Special Ale, Yards Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA

Category 57: Scottish-Style Ale, 29 entries
Gold: Highland Courage, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
Silver: MacPelican’s Scottish Style Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Bronze: Russell Wee Angry Scotch Ale, Russell Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada

Category 58: English-Style Mild Ale, 23 entries
Gold: Minerva Pale Ale, Cerveceria Minerva SA de CV, Zapopan, Mexico
Silver: London Tavern Ale, Valley Brewing Co., Stockton, CA
Bronze: Whistler Black Tusk Ale, Whistler Brewing Co., Vancouver, Canada

Category 59: English-Style Brown Ale, 46 entries
Gold: Red Hydrant Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Longboard Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Bronze: Mudslinger Ale, Redhook Ales Woodinville, Woodinville, WA

Category 60: Brown Porter, 37 entries
Gold: Tamerlane Brown Porter, Black Raven Brewing Co., Redmond, WA
Silver: Caldera Pilot Rock Porter, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR
Bronze: Industrial Porter, Crown Brewing Co., Crown Point, IN

Category 61: Robust Porter, 64 entries
Gold: Pier Rat Porter, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Silver: Founders Porter, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Russian River Porter, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA

Category 62: Sweet Stout, 25 entries
Gold: Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery Inc., Farmville, NC
Silver: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Bronze: Udder Goodness, Rock Bottom Brewery – Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ

Category 63: Oatmeal Stout, 34 entries
Gold: Oatmeal Stout, Gella’s Diner and LB Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Silver: Velvet Merkin, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA

Category 64: Scotch Ale, 38 entries
Gold: AleSmith Wee Heavy, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Three Heavy, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Bronze: Reed’s Wee Heavy, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category 65: British-Style Imperial Stout, 24 entries
Gold: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Crazy Ivan, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Jay Walker, Walking Man Brewing, Stevenson, WA

Category 66: Old Ale, 15 entries
Gold: Fourth Dementia Olde Ale, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, MI
Silver: Irish Walker, Olde Hickory Brewery, Hickory, NC
Bronze: Subzero, Rock Bottom Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

Category 67: Strong Ale, 26 entries
Gold: Outback X, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver: Dirty Bastard, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Cabin Fever, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA

Category 68: Barley Wine-Style Ale, 58 entries
Gold: Little Korkny Ale Niepoort Barrel, Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen N., Denmark
Silver: Thor’s Hammer, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada
Bronze: Alaskan Barleywine 2009, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK

Category 69: German-Style Kӧlsch/Kӧln-Style Kӧlsch, 23 entries
Gold: Schlafly Kolsch Ale, The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Silver: Fox Light, Fox River Brewing Company, Oshkosh, WI
Bronze: Chaser Pale, Blackstone Brewing Co., Nashville, TN

Category 70: German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf, 26 entries
Gold: Lands End Amber, Kannah Creek Brewing Co., Grand Junction, CO
Silver: The Detroit Dwarf, The Detroit Beer Co., Detroit, MI
Bronze: ALT, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category 71: German-Style Sour Ale, 9 entries
Gold: Berliner Weisse, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Silver: Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse, Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Gose, Upright Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category 72: South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier, 66 entries
Gold: Hefeweizen, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Baltika N°8 Wheat, Baltika Breweries, St. Petersburg, Russia
Bronze: Top Heavy Hefeweizen, Piece Brewing Co., Chicago, IL

Category 73: German-Style Pale Wheat Ale, 13 entries
Gold: TAP 2 Mein Kristall, Schneider Weisse, Kelheim, Germany
Silver: Unertl Leichte Weisse, Weißbräu Unertl GmbH & Co. KG, Mühldorf, Germany
Bronze: Distelhäuser Kristallweizen, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany

Category 74: German-Style Dark Wheat Ale, 22 entries
Gold: VùDù, Birrificio Italiano, Lurago Marinone, Italy
Silver: Unertl Mühldorfer Weisse, Weißbräu Unertl GmbH & Co. KG, Mühldorf, Germany
Bronze: Distelhäuser Dunkles Weizen, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany

Category 75: South German-Style Weizenbock/Weissbock, 27 entries
Gold: Plank Heller Weizenbock, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Silver: Old Harbor Taina, Old Harbor Brewery, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bronze: AleSmith Decadence 2009, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 76: Irish-Style Red Ale, 26 entries
Gold: Red Trolley Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Samuel Adams Irish Red, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Bronze: Ragtop Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA

Category 77: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 22 entries
Gold: McLuhr’s Irish Stout, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO
Silver: Port Truck Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Porterhouse Plain Porter, The Porterhouse Brewing Co., Dublin, Ireland

Category 78: Foreign-Style Stout, 21 entries
Silver: Zonker Stout, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Bronze: Spetsnaz Stout, The Grumpy Troll Brewery, Restaurant & Pizzeria, Mount Horeb, WI

Category 79: Golden or Blonde Ale, 50 entries
Gold: Heavy Seas Gold Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Silver: Sunlight Cream Ale, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Aud Blonde, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA

Category 80: American-Style Pale Ale, 77 entries
Gold: Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Drakes 1500 Pale Ale, Drakes Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Mission Street Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category 81: American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 59 entries
Gold: O’Brien’s IPA, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA
Silver: Hop Bomb IPA, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bellevue, Bellevue, WA
Bronze: Lumberyard IPA, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ

Category 82: American-Style India Pale Ale, 104 entries
Gold: Norm’s Raggedy-Ass IPA, Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, MI
Silver: Centennial IPA, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Duet, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA

Category 83: Imperial India Pale Ale, 69 entries
Gold: Hardcore IPA, BrewDog, Fraserburgh, United Kingdom
Silver: Bonnie’s Raggedy-Ass Imperial IPA, Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, MI
Bronze: Imperial IPA, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA

Category 84: American-Style Amber/Red Ale, 66 entries
Gold: Rudolph’s Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Silver: Red Rock, Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse, Berkeley, CA
Bronze: Odell Red Ale, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO

Category 85: Imperial Red Ale, 32 entries
Gold: Behemoth, Three Floyds Brewing Co. LLC, Munster, IN
Silver: Lumberyard Imperial Red, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ
Bronze: Shark Attack, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA

Category 86: American-Style Brown Ale, 40 entries
Gold: Nut Brown Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Hawai’i Nui Brewing Company Hapa, Hawai’i Nui Brewing Co., Hilo, HI
Bronze: Christmas Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category 87: American-Style Sour Ale, 14 entries
Gold: Raspberry Torte, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Viking Oud Bruin, Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen N., Denmark
Bronze: Wild Ale #4, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM

Category 88: American-Style Stout, 31 entries
Gold: Black Magic Stout, Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA
Silver: Sticky Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Terminal Stout, Rock Bottom Brewery – Chicago, Chicago, IL

Category 89: American-Style Imperial Stout, 37 entries
Gold: Seven Imperial Stout Niepoort Barrel, Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen N., Denmark
Silver: Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, Foothills Brewing, Winston-Salem, NC
Bronze: Imperial Stout, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI

Category 90: International Pale Ale, 28 entries
Gold: Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Straits Pale, Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd., Singapore
Bronze: P.L. IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

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Champion Brewery and Brewer Awards

Large Brewing Company Category
Asia Pacific Breweries Limited, Singapore
APB Brewing Team

Mid-Size Brewing Company Category
Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA
Matthew Brynildson

Small Brewing Company Category
Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego, CA
Ballast Point Brewers

Large Brewpub Category
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Iron Hill Brewery Team

Small Brewpub Category
Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland, VA
Jason Oliver

Brewing Achievement Awards 2010

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Yesterday at the opening session of the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago, the awards were given to “three successful members of the brewing community … for their dedication and service to the industry.” The three awards were as follows.

  • The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, Founder and Owner of Bell’s Brewery, Inc.
  • The Brewers Association presented the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing to Ken Grossman, CEO/President of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
  • The Brewers Association presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Steve Hindy, Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery.

Dick Cantwell, from Elysian Brewery in Seattle presented the awards.

Dick Cantwell

The first award, from the press release:

The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, Founder and Owner of Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Bell started the Kalamazoo Brewing Company and Bell’s Brewery, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1985, the earliest craft brewery in the eastern half of the United States. Larry’s dedication to the industry includes serving as a former chair of the Brewers Association’s predecessor organization and acting as a driving force with current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper for the creation of American Beer Month (which evolved into American Craft Beer Week).

Larry Bell

“Larry is a leader in our industry known for his innovative beers and the passion he brings to craft brewing,” said Brewers Association Board of Directors Chair Nick Matt, CEO of Matt Brewing Company. Mountain West Brewery Supply’s David Edgar noted in documents supporting Bell’s nomination that “Larry is continually pushing the envelope with experimenting with different grains, different yeast strains and plenty of hops.”

The second award, from the press release:

The Brewers Association presented the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing to Ken Grossman, CEO/President of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Grossman received this year’s award for his leadership in technical brewing science for craft brewers. He is still deeply involved in technical brewing projects at Sierra Nevada and has led numerous initiatives in the area of sustainability and beer quality.

“Ken Grossman founded Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 30 years ago based on one principle, to make the highest quality beer in America,” said Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. in a nominating document. “I think Ken’s never-ending quest in life is to make Sierra Nevada’s beers even better than they already are.”

Ken Grossman

The Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing was first given in 1997 to honor Russell Schehrer, who died in 1996 at 38 years old, for his contributions to the brewing industry. Schehrer was a founding partner and original head brewer at Colorado’s first brewpub, Wynkoop Brewing Co. He was also one of the first brewers to produce mead, doppel alt, cream stout and chili beer.

The third award, from the press release:

The Brewers Association presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Steve Hindy, Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery. Hindy recently testified in a Congressional hearing to communicate how state franchise laws can hinder the ability for small brewers to grow their businesses and how self-distribution is important to many small brewers to develop their access to market.

Steve Hindy

“Steve’s work on behalf of the industry is almost too great to list,” says Brewers Association Past Chair Richard Doyle of Harpoon Brewery. “His involvement on the Beer Institute board established credibility for craft brewers there and reaffirmed our place at the table.”

The F.X. Matt Award is given in honor of a champion of small brewers, F.X. Matt (1933-2001), president of the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, New York from 1980-1989 and chairman from 1989-2001.

The Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Beer Dinner At Anchor Brewery

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Thursday night, April 1, I attended a five-course beer dinner at the Anchor Brewery in San Francisco celebrating Sierra Nevada Brewing‘s 30th anniversary and the release of their first collaboration of the year, Fritz & Ken’s Ale, which is a stout.

The evening began with Ken Grossman & Fritz Maytag

The evening was great fun with terrific company, food and, of course, beer. There was one feature of the evening I haven’t seen at a beer dinner before, but I fervently hope more will adopt. They served in-between-course beers so we had a new beer to sample while waiting for each course. That made the anticipation of each new course far more manageable. Also, between each course, both Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada, and Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Brewery, got up and told great stories from their early days. That may have been my favorite part of the night. Below is one round of tales, broken into two parts because of YouTube’s 10 minute max rule.

And here’s Part 2:

Having been at beer dinners and events at Anchor numerous times, they also made the space next to the brewhouse the most comfortable it’s ever been. They added sound-proof panels along the exterior wall, rented a carpet and hung banners of Anchor beer labels. It definitely worked.

Inside Anchor Brewery

But by far, this was my favorite story of the evening.

If you ever have an occasion to talk with Sam Calagione, ask him about a similar story where he had no trouble getting arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with a brick of hops.

Ken Grossman, me and Fritz Maytag
Ken Grossman, me and Fritz Maytag and the end of the beer dinner.

Below is a slideshow of the Sierra Nevada beer dinner at Anchor. This Flickr gallery is best viewed in full screen. To view it that way, after clicking on the arrow in the center to start the slideshow, click on the button on the bottom right with the four arrows pointing outward on it, to see the photos in glorious full screen. Once in full screen slideshow mode, click on “Show Info” to identify each photo.

The Littlest Big Guy

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Perhaps you’ve noticed the latest television ads from the Boston Beer Co. trying to position Samuel Adams as a small fish in the big beer pond. I understood it immediately, as I’m sure you did, too. As sales of Sam Adams eke north of the 2-million barrels per annum threshold, they want to reclaim their position as the underdog little guy that made them successful. It’s a delicate tightrope walk and Advertising Age has an interesting article about it today entitled Sam Adams Wants to Show You Just How Small It Really Is.

Marin Institue Wagging Their Finger At Brewers Again

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The Marin Institute is at it again. Today, they published a shiny color-coded map showing how — and I love this bit of doublespeak — “State Governments Neglect Beer Taxes.” The press release goes on to suggest that “inflation has decreased the value of low beer taxes, while state budget shortfalls have exploded.” Of course, that argument can be made for every single tax in existence, from sales tax to income tax yet they’re not crying about those not being raised. Everything is effected by inflation, yet it’s alcohol taxes that must bear the burden for that. And I’ve said it before, and I guess I have to keep saying it, but trying to make alcohol pay for the state’s shortfalls is not in the least bit fair. Alcohol companies didn’t cause the problems we’re all experiencing, yet these neo-prohibitionists keep insisting they must disproportionally pay to fix them. Whatever fixes are imposed should be paid by everyone, not just the convenient target of an extremist anti-alcohol organization.

This neglect, they claim, has “[l]egislators ignoring a lot of revenue their states could use right now.” They neglect, naturally, to factor in all of the direct and indirect positive economic contributions that the alcohol industry makes to our economy, one of the few industries growing and providing jobs. Instead, they suggest punishing and harming the alcohol industry to, and here’s a telling quote, “prevent future losses.” That presupposes that these taxes are somehow ordained from on high, sacrosanct and absolutely necessary. But are they? Not in the least. The taxes they’re referring to are excise taxes, taxes no other industry except tobacco has to pay. Alcohol companies already pay more taxes than any other goods manufacturing industry in the country. The notion that they have to be adjusted for inflation is something these yahoos just made up because they don’t like alcohol. The maps are very colorful and utterly useless.

pretty-map
Ooh, look at the pretty colors.
 

These excise taxes are patently unfair and always have been since they were first imposed during the Civil War to raise money for the Northern Army. That they’re taken for granted and most people believe there’s a good reason for them has more to do with anti-alcohol propaganda and decades of ceaseless attacks painting alcohol as a sin. Today’s reason du jour for the continued excise taxes is usually stated as alcohol is somehow duty-bound to pay for any harm caused by people abusing the products they make and sell. This argument, of course, doesn’t stand up to the simplest logic. Not everybody abuses alcohol, of course, and the percentage that do so are in a very small minority of the total number of people who regularly drink.

Still, this notion persists that the industry must pay for a small percentage of alcohol abusers. But if it’s about the harm, then why aren’t soda and fast food manufacturers taxed similarly for the burden they place on our healthcare system. People over-eating surely has made many people unhealthy and their medical bills far higher than people who eat a healthier diet. Why don’t they have to pay for the harm they cause? Why don’t pharmaceutical companies get taxed for the harm caused by people who abuse their prescription drugs? Why don’t gun and bullet makers have to pay for the violence caused by their products? I could go on and on. Almost everything causes harm if abused, but only alcohol has to pay for it, apparently.

What’s most pernicious about these recent attacks by anti-alcohol groups is that they’re simply seizing an opportunity caused by the economic downturn to advance an agenda that has little to do with what caused our economic woes. They’re essentially just stoking people’s fears to further their own agenda of removing alcohol from society by taxing it to death and figuring people will go along with it if they step up their lying to them about it at a time when we’re all worried about the future. It’s quite frankly, disgraceful.

In other recent news, the California state legislature did not approve Jim Beall’s latest attempt to punish alcohol with his nickel-a-drink tax that’s come up several times before and will continue to be brought up until the people of San Jose finally get smart enough to vote him out of office. Jim Beall is like a rabid dog that just won’t quit nipping at alcohol’s heels.

The Marin Institute’s chief flack, Bruce Lee Livingston quipped after its most recent defeat. “How in good conscience … can these public servants vote no or even worse abstain on this bill? It’s a travesty; whose interests are they representing?” Well, listen up, I’ll tell you. A nickel-a-drink sounds like a modest proposal, but it’s not. It would greatly raise the price of alcohol, especially beer, and even though I know that’s your real goal, it harms a healthy segment of the economy at a time when there are fewer and fewer healthy segments left. Legislators understand that. You do not, because you don’t care about the economy if it means alcohol continues to prosper. You only care about causing the alcohol industry harm. So it helps the interests of business, something pretty important if raising money is the goal so everyone in California can prosper. To you, it seems like a fine time to attack alcohol, but to people who really do care about the state’s economy, not so much. You also keep going on about big beer, but this harms 200 small breweries, many of which are Mom & Pop businesses just trying to make a living and feed their families, not giant behemoths.

Voting against it also helps the interests of the poor, who buy a lot of the beer, especially when Beall’s bill exempts 79% of wineries. The fee (or tax) is regressive, meaning it falls disproportionally on the poorest Californians. The bill also funds healthcare facilities to treat alcohol and drug abuse. Drugs, you may not realize, are not made in breweries, so asking alcohol companies to pay for pharmaceutical abuse is not exactly fair. In addition, the $700 million (still only 3.5% of the state deficit) you claim will help the budget won’t do any such thing if all or a portion is being used for these treatment facilities. Those are in addition to balancing the budget.

Sadly, the bill, “AB 1694 will be re-considered in the Assembly Health Committee on April 6.” And so it goes ….

Oakland Brewing Finds A Home

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Steve McDaniel and the folks trying to launch Oakland Brewing Co. have some good news. They’ve found a location, finally. It’s the Old Cottonmill building at 1010 22nd Avenue in Oakland. It looks like a great old brick building with some history to it. As Steve is quick to remind me, they still have a very long way to go before the building can be turned into a working brewery, but if their luck holds they hope to have beer in the market by the end of 2010.

OBC-Cottonmill-1

The building, I’m told, is located “a short diagonal off Livingston Street (terminating at I-880), which intersects Embarcadero where Quinn’s Lighthouse sits, just northwest from Coast Guard Island. Once you’re on 22nd Ave, drive toward the freeway and the building will be on your right … if you hit Numi Tea at I-880, you’ve gone too far. Irish Monkey Cellars, who make a fine Cabernet Franc, is right in that same area too.”

You can see more photos of the building at their website.

Beer In South Africa

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If you’re like me, you don’t know all that much about the beer market in South Africa. In today’s Business Week, however, there was an interesting article about the market and how Heineken is going after the market leader, SABMiller. (Thanks to Anat for pointing this out.) You probably knew the SAB part of SABMiller got its start in South Africa, having been founded as South African Breweries in 1895, with Castle Lager as their best-selling beer. The article, entitled Heineken Targeting SABMiller’s Beer ‘Monopoly’ in South Africa, gives some interesting tidbits about that market. For example:

  • SABMiller has 89% of the South African beer market.
  • That’s “the largest existing monopoly market in the world.”
  • South Africa is the 9th largest beer market worldwide.

The Flintstones Drink Busch Beer

By

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I’m an unabashed lover of animation, which is why I always bristle when the neo-prohibitionists invariably complain when a cartoon is used to sell beer. They always argue that cartoons appeal only to children, and seem to forget that adults love them, too. Many of the most famous cartoons we love were originally made for adults, to be shown before feature films at the theater in the days before television. It wasn’t until the advent of TV, I’d argue, that the split began between cartoons for kids and for adults.

Anyway, I recently was looking for and found a bootleg DVD of old Quisp & Quake commercials, which were created by Jay Ward, famous for Rocky & Bullwinkle, among much else. And, yes, I am that much of an animation geek. Anyway, I also discovered at the same website, something I hadn’t previously known about: a Hanna-Barbera made Flintstones cartoon done in 1967 for an Anheuser-Busch distributor meeting or convention. I promptly ordered that as well.

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It’s a little over 19 minutes, shows some upcoming television and radio spots for Busch Bavarian Beer, but also includes a mini-Flinstones story, too, that begins when Fred and Barney lose their jobs and go to a bar to drink Busch beer. It appears aimed at distributors, and possibly retailers, to show what advertising will be used in 1967 to support the brand and help it continue to be successful. There’s some great old adspeak in the video, where the narrator talks about “advertising that moves the consumer to Busch” with what they call — and they say in hushed tones implying it’s a new term — “Target Advertising.” But here’s my favorite. “We used words that beer drinkers understood.” That had me laughing out loud. What exactly are the words that beer drinkers understand? Are they small ones? Simple ones? Ones without too many syllables?

flint-busch-3

After a few minutes of a Flintstones story, going to the bar, then back home, the boys return again to the bar. The bar’s name is actually “Tavern-Type Inn Bar Grill Lounge Pub Saloon.” They agree to take over for the bartender and serve some Busch beer, then watch a video within the video that’s aimed at the distributors and talks about advertising plans for 1967. Apparently last year’s slogan was “you can’t say beer better than Busch” and the new one will be “when you’re due for a beer, Busch does it!.”

flint-busch-4

I think my favorite part of the video is when the beer wagon comes out of the A-B gate, pulled by Clydes-dinos. After the video, the 5:00 whistle sounds and Fred and Barney have to go back to work serving Busch to the after work rush. When they’re done, they talk about what hard work it was, and they throw out this bon mot, which must have delighted the crowd. “It takes know how to work in the beer business,” to which Fred replies “yeah, and we got no know how, no how.” Eventually, their boss from the gravel pit, Mr. Slate, comes in the bar and they get their jobs back, of course, wrapping up the story arc from the beginning.

It’s a fun cartoon, especially for the beer geek, and I can’t imagine how expensive it must have been to get Hanna-Barbera, one of the premiere animation studios at that time, to do an industrial film for them. Happily, you don’t have to go out and buy a copy of it like I did, but can watch it right here, because I found it on YouTube, separated into two parts. Enjoy.

Part 1: 9:22

Part 2: 9:59